


The Last Dance

by AbraxasBelzebub



Series: The Budding Flowers [1]
Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Cute, FLOWER BOYS!!!!, M/M, So Fuckin´ Cute I Can´t, Teen!Bards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-14
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:34:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28758165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbraxasBelzebub/pseuds/AbraxasBelzebub
Summary: A prequel of sorts for "Two Bards And a Witcher", but can be separatley.***My lips opened to say something once again, but he intercepted anew, dropping his hand from my cheek, that felt cold now. He stepped back a little and with a small bow he introduced himself."I am Julian Alfred Pankratz, an aspiring bard extraordinaire." He said in his lively manner."I'm Valdo Marx…" I respond not nearly as confident or loud. He seems pleased however, as he extends his hand towards me.***
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Valdo Marx
Series: The Budding Flowers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2108406
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	The Last Dance

**Author's Note:**

> The little bit of poetry I used here is from the poem "Nebulous Blush" by Harley White.
> 
> Also... I wanted to thank my lovely blue_furious_welly_boots for being such a great fan of all the ideas I threw at her and for being a great motivation to go on with this and for enduring all those long voice messages filled with Flower Boys ideas I send her (and still keep sending her)! :D

**The Last Dance**

The excitement was buzzing throughout my body while I was getting ready for the welcome reception. It was a grand event that took place at the start of each spring semester, to welcome the new students and the returning ones at the Oxenfurt University. 

And this year I was participating too! I couldn't help but grin at my own faint reflection in the window.

The window in my own room at the University's Dormitory. The first room I had all to my own! 

I felt lighter than I did in quite a while, thinking of having managed to fulfill my biggest dream, while I retouched the makeup to better cover up the dark shadows under my eyes and the fading bruise on my neck.

It was still early. It wouldn’t do to turn up at where the party took place yet, as much as I wanted to go and take everything in. I adjusted my newly bought shirt for the third time. It was the fanciest piece of clothing I've ever touched, beside my late father's ceremonial military uniform.

My smile faded somewhat thinking of him being now gone forever. We didn't have the closest relationship and he didn't necessarily understand my fond disposition towards artful things, but he tried his best and never on purpose made me feel bad about myself.

It couldn't have been easy and yet he made sure to spend as much time with me as he did with my brothers. Instead of training and teaching me in the fighting skills or fishing or whatever else boys were usually interested in, he made the effort to read me some poetry, or take me to see a play on special occasions when we could afford it. 

My smile grew a little melancholic. I wondered if he would be proud of me now.

I tugged at the simple yet beautiful sleeves in cornflower blue, just like the rest of my shirt, and made sure the collar as well as the jabot were up properly.

There was nothing more to do.

I run my hand through the stubborn locks falling into my eyes.  _ I should grow them out some more.  _ I think, realising they were too short to tuck back.

I decided to spend my waiting time with the lute that Master Novro has given me before I departed from my temporary living place in Novigrad to live in Oxenfurt.

It wouldn’t be an overestimation to say that this delicate instrument is my first love. I have yet so much to learn.

I strum the fine strings my fingers are growing familiar with so quickly. Peace and calm overtook me and I closed my eyes in contentment. When I opened them again the skies outside have turned pink slowly giving in to violett with the inky-blue of the night not far behind. 

I jump up. I'm late now. Nonono!

I slow down for a moment to put my dear instrument carefully away and then I run.

The door slams shut behind me, as I urge my short legs to move forwards through the corridors and down the stairs and out of the Dormitory.

I almost bump into a few people on the way, until I have to slow down, due to so many students meandering towards and around the celebration hall.

Out of breath I try to pass through the small crowd separating me from the entrance. 

People are chatting in a mix of excitement and joy. Yet there are other voices, closer as I pass the other students.

_ "What is he wearing?" _

_ "Does the university let commoners  _

_ in now?" _

_ "When was this fashionable? Four or five seasons ago?" _

The comments are either laced with disdain or laughter. 

I stiffen but don't stop. The strangers' garments are indeed way more expensive than my new shirt, more fashionable and generally way more beautiful. They wore expensive accessories and jewellery as far as I can glimpse, while trying not to look and quickly enter the building, that slowly but surely gets closer.

I almost run into the wall in my effort to keep my eyes down, not to accidentally challenge a cruel stranger.

Just a few steps more.

_ Tap _

_ Tap _

_ Tap _

The warm light exploded from the inside as I reached my destination of choice.

I felt my face stretch into a smile again. I stepped in without hesitation, looking around taking everything in. All the lights coming from lamps made of colourful glass, and the expensive-looking fabrics decorating the walls!

Someone pushed me to the side for standing in the way. I didn't fall, but decided to go to the side, close to the shadows cast along the walls. Close to the light and yet lurking in the darkness.

Even all the negative comments couldn't squish my joy though. I didn't have to be in the center of the room or the people to enjoy all of this, trying to realise that from now on I'll be a part of it.

I'll learn. I'll grow. I'll-

A sudden shadow looming over me interrupted my train of thought. I blinked a few times. 

There in front of me stood another boy. Somewhat older than me, and much taller. The last not being hard at all. He wore a sunny-coloured, expensive-looking doublet, with a silken green shirt peeking from under it. The top three buttons were open in what was a very improper etiquette, as far as I knew.

His face was handsome, still soft but one could see his cheeks starting to get more pronounced. The smooth, dark brown hair softly falling over his forehead with few loose strands reaching his big eyes. Eyes that outmatched my new shirt in their cornflowery blueness.They sparkled without the need of light it seemed.

"Hello stranger," he says with a warm, pleasant voice, smiling with a charm that couldn't be refused, "I saw you enter and then immediately hide into the shadows, not giving me a chance to admire your beauty." 

My heart pounded… still or again? I didn't know and he seemed so close. Did he just compliment me? Or was he mocking me? 

"Will you let me pull you out into the light?" There was mirth in his voice as well as a certain seriousness and I didn't know what to say, so I just nodded, mesmerised by the bright blue orbs holding my gaze effortlessly.

A hand gently grasped mine, pulling me into the light as promised. Slowly, gently.

I've forgotten all about a ball, or people it was just me and him, and once my face was hit by light he gasped. The plump pink lips forming a small 'o'.

He grasped one of those stray locks from over my eye and tucked it behind my ear. As per usual it slipped back out to the front, resulting in him laughing.

"You are stunning." He said simply, his hand laying gently against my cheek, keeping the misbehaving strands of my raven-black hair away. 

My lips opened to say something once again, but he intercepted anew, dropping his hand from my cheek, that felt cold now. He stepped back a little and with a small bow he introduced himself.

"I am Julian Alfred Pankratz, an aspiring bard extraordinaire." He said in his lively manner.

"I'm Valdo Marx…" I respond not nearly as confident or loud. He seems pleased however, as he extends his hand towards me.

I go to take it, expecting a shake, that doesn't happen however. He takes my hand and turns it palm down, stooping to its level and planting a gentle kiss on it. 

To say I didn't know what to do was an understatement. I felt my blood rush towards my cheeks.

Julian looked up at me from under thick black lashes. His eyes smiling.

" _ Why are you blushing, Nebula Iris, _

_ Or are you flushed with stelliferous sighs? _

_ Don't you know dreamers are all desirous _

_ Of visions evoking stars in their eyes?" _

He recited a poem with a cheeky grin that was gracing his face as his eyes sparkled.

He took pity on me though and continued talking as if nothing happened. 

He talked on and on jumping from one topic to another, leading me through the hall, skillfully dodging the other people, nodding at many of them when they greeted him. 

Nobody paid me any mind at his side, and I was relieved, for that meant no  _ negative _ attention. 

I don't know how much time passed, or what Julian talked about, but the sound of his clear voice was a calming presence, a continuous mellifluous backdrop. 

Eventually the time of casually socializing seemed to melt into festive celebration and more intimate interactions. Some people started swaying and swirling elegantly on the dancefloor, others retreated into the corners of the building in small groups or pairs.

I felt a little lightheaded at the rush of people suddenly passing us by, some heading to go dance, some fleeing the dancefloor. The giddiness was turbulent and for a few moments I lost sight of Julian.

I turned around trying to spot him, feeling suddenly exposed so alone amidst strangers, until I felt a soft hand grasp mine into a warm embrace. Startled, I whipped around, my gaze following the arm found the smiling face of my new acquaintance. He motioned to follow him, pulling me behind him, our joined hands like a lifeline in the sea of people. 

A joyful laughter lost to the crowd passed through my body as Julian maneuvered through the crowd like an expert. 

When we've finally reached a calm spot, we were both out of breath. My companions cheeks were flushed and his eyes sparkled happily when our eyes met. 

I didn't notice that we were still holding hands until I felt a squeeze. Another heatwave flushed my cheeks. I didn't know how to let go without it getting awkward.

"I…ehmm… should we-" I started 

"-dance?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Ehmm… what?" I felt confused by the random question. Did he want to dance?

_ With me?  _

He chuckled. Then he raised my hand upwards once more, bowing a little in a very proper and very noble gesture saying, "Would you give me the honour of a dance?" 

I wondered if he was mocking me again, but his face, his joy seemed so sincere…

"I… I'd love to, but I fear I don't know how to dance. Not in a...  _ correct  _ way." My gaze shifted to some of the dancing couples following specific step sequences that an expensive dance teacher would have taught me, have I been born into nobility.

Some anxiety rose up into my chest. Would he be disgusted by such lack of education? His face however didn't change, it was still confident and contented. 

"I will gladly teach you." The grip on my hand lessened. He was giving me a way out I thought. 

Still unsure, I looked around. All the dancing pairs were a woman and a man each. I didn't know what the customs in this region were in regard to such trifles.

"Would that...would  _ we  _ be alright?" I motioned with my hand towards the dancers, disconnecting my palm from his.

"What do you mean?" His eyebrows narrowed some in confusion, as his head cocked slightly to the side.

I looked down feeling foolish. "You know, because we're both boys…" 

He chuckled again. "Of course we'll be alright! And if someone has any quarrels about it they'll have to answer to me." His expression now was one of a man who'd like to see someone try. Daring. Determined. 

_ And mischievous? _

I wasn't sure, but the simplicity with which he swatted away any of my doubts gave me a boost.

I extended my hand back towards him and smiled my most charming smile in a bout of sudden cockiness. 

"Then it'd be my pleasure, my Lord. Lead the way." The boldness of my voice was surprising, yet before any insecurity could grip at my throat again he took my hand and with a delighted sparkle in those endlessly blue eyes he lead us onto the dancefloor.

I was desperately trying to keep the nervousness that tried to crawl up my throat at bay. All of a sudden my legs felt wooden and I worried I won't be able to keep up with this confident boy, who for some reason would rather spend this grand evening with me, than all the other beautiful, elegant and doubtlessly better educated people.

The time seemed to have sped up and there we stood. His eyes were smiling when he said, “I´ll lead the dance too if you don´t mind”. It was a very graceful way to say, that having someone who cannot do the said dance lead was a poor idea. I nodded, unsure of what to do. 

His lips curved up into the loveliest of smiles as he stepped up so close to me, that I feared he would hear my accelerated heartbeat. He took my right hand securely into his own bigger one, then put my left around his right shoulder, resting his right on my back, where my shoulder blades were. His touch was delicate, so... demure. It made me feel very strange to be handled as if… as if I was something precious. 

“Here we go.” He said simply, just starting to move, pushing his feet against mine lightly, urging me to move mine. I was frantically looking down, terrified not to step on his, much larger, feet. It was clunky and lacking any elegance and before I realized it the song ended. 

I looked up, fully expecting that was it, realizing I didn't look at him at all throughout the dance, way too focused on watching my feet. 

“Want to stop already?” He grinned at me, however… was that a slight tinge of sadness around his brilliant blue eyes? 

“N-no! I just thought because the song has ended...” I trailed off. His face seemingly lit up, turning into that slightly mischievous expression. “Nobody can stop us beside ourselves, love.” I felt my blush return slightly at the endearment, cursing my body for making me turn red so quickly. All the while we still circled in that slow inelegant manner. My head dropped down to look at my feet again.

“Hey, don´t leave me all alone up here, huh?” Julian said teasingly, making me abandon my feet-watch. I raised my head so abruptly that I felt my wild locks brush against his face, which turned out to be closer than I anticipated.

“You are doing perfectly beautiful.” He whispered. His warm breath caressed my face, our noses almost touched. And then I stumbled. Over my own feet no less.

I heard Julian´s laughter as he gripped me tighter, preventing me from hitting the floor. 

“No need to fly away little bird, I won't hold you here against your will, I promise.” The laughter still in his voice, adding a little more seriously after a moment. “Just say a word and I´ll let you go.” But I didn't, and he didn't let me go, if anything he kept me closer in a firmer grip. I didn't look down again, and time just seemed meaningless. We swirled to the songs changing, one after another, my steps became surer and more elegant. Sometimes we went quicker and sometimes we slowed down. My gaze swept over the other people coming and going and dancing on the dance floor. Sometimes we´d exchange glances and smiles. He didn't talk anymore, and with time, just like myself seemed to have relaxed. It seemed… like we didn´t need anything more, as if for now we have found our peace. Two strangers. 

It must have become late, as many people´s dancing got less and less refined and many of them were just rocking slightly in each other's arms, more of an embrace than a dance, really. 

I didn't even realize that I myself have leaned my face against his shoulder.

He smelled like spring. Like snowdrops and grape hyacinths. He smelled like the world waking up to life after a long winter. 

I felt a rush of air escape my lips, more than I heard it, he however must have noticed. 

“Shall we stop? We've danced for hours. You sound tired...” His voice was a mere whisper. I turned my head towards him, having to angle my head up in a weird way, but not willing to part from his warm shoulder.

“Do you want to stop?” I asked and after a moment I added cheekily, “Just say a word and I´ll let you go.” Throwing his own words back at him. The soft chuckle that escaped his rosy lips sent the warm breath to pass over my face again. 

“Just don't fall asleep on me.” Was his verbal answer. “Like... _ literally _ .” There was warmth in his melodious voice. He lightly squeezed me in our embrace in what felt like a good-natured gesture. 

At some point the music stopped. I looked up confused. The band was packing up their instruments, and only a few other couples were still on the dancefloor with us. 

_ Huh… was it already so late? _

I looked up at Julian, who´s face looked tired but contented, a soft smile seemingly permanently plastered to it. 

He sighed heavily when I kept looking at him. “All good things come to an end, don´t they?” His grasp around me loosened. I lingered close to him for a few moments before I stepped back a little. The fragile connection we held for ... _ hours?  _ Now lost, leaving a void creeping up on me, cold and foreboding, but I pushed those thoughts away, not wanting to lose that moment- evening really, already.

We reluctantly turned towards the entrance, where the last of the people were now heading to, to leave the died out event. We crossed the room in a time shorter than I anticipated and once the cool air of an early spring hit us, we wandered off to the side, out of the way of any other lingering party-guests.

We were facing each other again, the longer wisps of his chocolate hair falling into his eyes, when he inclined his head downwards to look at me. I reached out to brush them to the side, in an unconscious mimicry of his earlier gesture. 

_ Did his cheeks just dust with a darker shade? _

“It was the greatest pleasure meeting you today, dear Valdo.” He said eventually. “The pleasure was all mine.” I responded simply, upon which I added, “It is a farewell then...” 

“I hope not a permanent one.” He said quickly, then it seemed as if he wanted to do something but couldn't decide on what. Julian seemed to come to a decision when he extended his hand towards me. I took it a little confused. 

His graceful form bowed down, only stopping shortly over our joined hands. “Good night...Valdo.” He breathed out, my name on his lips sounding like the most enchanting endearment in existence. Then he kissed my hand again, like he did when he introduced himself. My heart did a bizarre flip, as if it wanted to leave my chest on a whim. He slowly straightened up, his handsome face looking almost ethereal in the faint light of dawn. “Good night…” I whispered back, no fancy or clever words wanting to come to my mind. 

He took two steps away from me backwards, before he turned around nonchalantly and started walking away. I looked for a moment then turned to go the other way, my heart full of lightness and heaviness in a previously unknown to me mixture.

“Will I see you again?!” I turned at Julian calling out. He was a bit far, and looked slightly wild, with his hair looking windswept. My face lit up in a broad smile. “If the faiths are in our favour!” I call back. 

I see him nodding. “I will find you, even if I have to fight Destiny herself!” He returns with determination. And it was impossible at that distance, but I could have sworn his eyes lit up at that. I just nodded back, slightly astounded by that declaration and started to turn around once more. 

After a few steps I looked back over my shoulder to see if maybe, just maybe he wasn't real and would have disappeared by now, but found him doing the same. He seemed to have giggled when our eyes met, invoking an equally mirthful response in me. 

_ It was the best night in my life,  _ I thought walking back to my room, tired but with a spring in my step that I didn't remember to have experienced before. 

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAHHHHHH HOW COULD I WRITE SOMETHING THIS CUTE EVER???!!!! I mean if I may say so myself X0 I hope very much you enjoyed, I´d appreciate any feedback a lot! :D I did this as a prequel to the RP I write with two other marvelous people and the Jaskier-writer might at some point write Jaskier P.O.V to this, which I´ll make sure that we post here, but I don't know when she´ll find the time yet. 
> 
> Otherwise I definitely have a bunch of ideas involving our Flower Boys, all the way up to the point from which they started to hate each other so famously, but I don't know how many of those I'll manage to write or when, but I´ll add them to the "Budding Flowers" Series(? I guess, I don´t know how Ao3 works ! X0), should you be interested! X3


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